Writing an Introduction That Attracts Attention

You can usually tell how good an essay or article is going to be by its introduction. This is the first paragraph the reader comes across and it explains what they can expect from the rest of the essay. Many people trying to write essays have a good idea of concept and structure but unknown to them their poor introduction has already sent out a message that is detrimental to the rest of the work. So, think of your introduction as the reception point where people get to experience you first before entering. All you need to do is to perfect your reception (introduction) to get visitors interested in getting to the end of the road with you.

Grab The Reader’s Attention

In your introduction you must attract the reader’s attention and make them want to read on and then you have to engage them with a solid first paragraph. Make it an impression by writing something that entices the reader and gives them a taste for more. You can also make use of anecdotes and dialogue. Anecdotes are short stories that illustrate a point or an idea, while a dialogue tends to place questions in their head to make them want to read more to get the answers.

Don’t Tell The Whole Story Too Soon

Don’t give away all your points and information in the introduction otherwise you’ll give the reader the impression that they don’t need to waste time reading the entire article. The best way to avoid this is to limit your introduction in terms of the number of words or lines you use. On average, a one hundred word or 3 – 5 sentence paragraphs is enough to serve as your introduction. Also, overdoing the introduction might end up boring the readers who are in too much of a hurry to get to the main point of your discussion. Your introduction should be one paragraph only, unless you’re writing an essay with several pages. Make sure that it is conclusive, self explanatory and progressive. Progressive in the sense of concord and agreement with the following paragraphs so readers don’t get lost.

Back Up Your Points With Stats

Your primary objective is to get a hold of the reader’s attention and have them eager to learn more. By all means try to raise their level of curiosity. You can do this by adding some kind of statistical information that is current or not known by many people. Let them have the feeling that details that explains the statistics in full is available for them in the rest of the article. People love information based on verifiable statistics because it convinces them that you know exactly what you’re doing; and that the information they’re about to read is reliable and resourceful. Don’t make any strong conclusions but instead be neutral and give room for brainstorming and discussion. If your audience is not inspired, they are never going to get the willful energy to read to the bottom of the page.

What Not To Do

There are certain things you need to avoid when writing your essay introduction. Don’t write an introduction that includes the complete background and details of the topic you’re about to discuss. It exposes you as a weak writer and removes readers’ curiosity to venture into the unknown. Don’t forget to include a brief statement about the thesis of the topic. This is how you let the readers know about the essential points of the piece. Avoid writing long paragraphs or lengthy sentences that can lead to confusion; you don’t want your viewers reading over and over again trying to grasp what your point is. Avoids using big words, it’s too early for readers to be looking for a dictionary.

Sam Jacobs is a professional copywriter who also helps to tutor children on the best essay writing techniques for more writing tips click here.

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Christine Lebednik has spent much of her writing work life in the technical and business writing area of the discipline. She has written on a wide range of topics in web content writing from spiritual to technical topics, and also has some experience working within corporate training settings as a subset of her work as a technical and business writer.

Sarah is the author of several books and numerous articles. A freelance writer, international speaker, book designer, and spiritual director, she holds a Master of Arts degree in Christian Ministry and a Certificate of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. Sarah makes her home in Salem, Oregon. For more information, see her website at SarahKatreenHoggatt.com.

Allyson Carter is an author who dips her toes into the suspense and romance genres in the Edgy Christian market. She lives in Missouri with her husband, four children and three cats, where she homeschools her children, three on the autism spectrum. You can find out more about her books and read her blog on her website.

Jennifer Snow writes contemporary romance fiction for Penguin Random House and Harlequin, with books ranging from small-towns to big cities. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and five year old son. Visit her website for more info.